Contractual Obligations
by Jonathan Anubian
Summary: Plot Bunny: May not continue Story. The Weasley family and Malfoy family's lives are thrown out of wack when Gringotts summons them both to the reading of a magical contract. Where once they were friends now they are enemies. How will Ginny and Draco cope when the school finds out that the two family's will soon be joined in marriage?


The three months leading up to Ginny receiving her Hogwarts letter were awash with excitement. Being the youngest of seven children, and the only girl, she felt as if her life was unbearable in the Burrow. But with all of her brothers were gone for the majority of the year she had to admit to herself that she was unbearably lonely. There weren't many children her age that she cold play with and her mother was often busy with daily chores. Even if she decided to help out the list of things to do seemed endless, especially without magic.

Life turned a little strange a few days before they received their school letters. For one- Harry Potter, of all people, arrived one night out of the blue with Fred, George, and Ron. The moment she saw him her insides turned to butterflies and her legs to jelly. She darted back around the corner, hands fisted into her night-dress as she wondered what he must have thought of her. Face red she rushed back upstairs to put on something a little more presentable for guests before coming back down. Three days of tripping, stuttering, dropping things, and turning various shades of red ensued. Every time he talked to her she couldn't help but make a fool of herself. She knew that Ron was annoyed with her. But Harry was just so famous. He had saved the entire wizarding world!

The day their letters arrived there was talk about visiting Diagon alley to gather their supplies. Sitting around the breakfast table and talking jovially about the coming year none of them were prepared for the sudden appearance of a letter. It nearly dropped right into Ginny's porridge! Startled she nearly fell from her chair but was steadier by George… or was it Fred? The boys looked at her in confusion before they leaned in to stare at the letter.

"What's this, Gin?" They asked in unison as everyone looked on curiously. Turning the letter over in her hands she swallowed thickly, eyes going wide. An embossed symbol on the front made it look important and the neat writing on the front made her tremble slightly. Gringotts bank. "Mum? Da?" She asked, voice high as she held up the letter. Her parents looked at each other before motioning for her to open it. "Gringotts letters are spelled so that only the one it's meant for can open it. Once it's open we can read it together, dear." Her mother said gently with a reassuring smile.

All eyes were on her as she walked over to a side table and picked up a letter opener. Since she wasn't of age yet and didn't have a wand she couldn't use magic. Even if she could she wouldn't. What if magic caused it to explode or something, much like a Howler might. With the envelope carefully opened she pulled out the ornate parchment and carefully unfolded it. Her eyes darted across the page and everyone held their breath in the silence. After the first few lines the girl's face paled and she collapsed to the floor. "Ginny!" Ina mad dash the entire family left the table and crowded around her limp form. While Molly held her only daughter to her chest, and Arthur left to get the smelling salts at a sprint, Percy picked up the letter and scanned it carefully. A yelp of surprise left him and the other boys turned to look at him in concern.

"Well, what is it? S'Gin in trouble?" Percy shook his head and folded the letter, not allowing the others to see it. "It's a summons. Dad and Ginny have an appointment with Gringotts." No matter how they tried to wheedle him he wouldn't say any more on the matter, though his face went from pale to red and back a couple times. As if he was bouncing between horror and rage.

Blinking her bleary eyes up at her parents she wailed and clung to her mother. "No! I don't want to! They can't make me! T-tell them they can't m-make me!" She began to sob and Molly hugged her tighter to her chest, looking up at Arthur with clear worry. Turning away from his daughter he politely demanded the letter from Percy. The stern look his father gave him was enough to hand it over without a word. The man read it over once, then twice, and then a third time for good measure. "Bloody hell!" He cried. "Arthur!" Molly chided him, confused and concerned about what had set her household in such disarray.

"We're going upstairs. Gin too. Boys, you sit back down to eat your breakfast. I want no shenanigans, you hear me? This is not for you to snoop about until we get it sorted." Grudgingly they all went back to the table. Glancing back at their parents a couple times but finding no cracks to exploit. Arthur was a reasonable and gentle man. It wasn't often that something got under his skin and made him truly angry. But when he finally snapped no one in the house would disobey a direct order from the patriarch. Quietly the boys took their seats, looking at each other worriedly. Even Harry, who had only just met Ginny, was scared for her wellbeing. He'd been to Gringotts and the Goblins were pretty scary. "What d'ya think it's about?" Ron asked in a miserable tone. Percy shook his head. No matter how the twins tried, bribes, threats, and even sincere pleas, he wouldn't say a word.

Upstairs Ginny sat on her bed wiping away tears as Molly read the letter for the fourth time. "This is ridiculous. They can't send something like this! She's only a child!" Arthur tried to calm hi wife and comfort his daughter at the same time. "That may be, but we still have to go. This kind of summons isn't one we can ignore. I'd rather not have the Goblins or Wizengamot get involved." Pursing her lips she sat on the bed and hugged her daughter again, brushing her hair away from her face gently. "Don't you worry, dear. We'll go with you and sort this all out. There's no reason to worry." Ginny gave her mother a weak smile, trusting her parents to help her.

Staring down at the letter Arthur let our another curse, this time under his breath. If it wasn't for his family needing him to stay calm and sober he might have gone off and downed an entire bottle of firewhiskey. The day was off to a bloody lovely start.

* * *

There wasn't much that could knock him out of his usual prideful attitude, not much indeed. Having been groomed all his life to be a proper nobleman he was taught never to let any weakness show. At the moment, however, Draco Malfoy was in a blind panic. Running through the many, many, rooms of the manor he practically dove through the doorway into the main breakfast room. "Draco! What have I old you about tearing through the house?" Frowning, noticing his current state of horror and disheveled hair, Narcissa stood from the table as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. Rushing to his mother's side he held out the ornate paper with a trembling hand. Petting his hair as he hugged her around the waist for comfort she carefully took the letter and read it through. Her mouth went ry. Stumbling a little she untangled herself from her son and gently led him to the table. Once he was sitting down she called Dobby and told him to fetch her two calming draughts. Lucious would not be pleased with the contents of the letter.

"Mother." Draco whined when he'd finally calmed down. "This is a farce! It must be. I refuse to believe it is true." Shaking her head slightly she tried to get her son to eat something. He was still looking a little too pale for her liking. Though her own fingers shook slightly as well.

When her husband finally arrived, finished the floo call that had called him away from the table, he looked between the two of them with a frown. "What has the two of you looking so dreary?" Sitting at the head of the table he tucked into his meal, still looking between them curiously. "Draco received a letter this morning." Lucious scoffed. "Surely his Hogwarts letter does not warrant this kind of reaction. Narcissa's smile was strained. "No, from Gringotts."

She slid the letter across the table toward her husband, not wanting to leave Draco's side. Wiping his fingers on a cloth napkin he took the letter and began to read through it. Before he was halfway down the page he stood from his seat abruptly. "This is an outrage! I will not stand for it!" It took some time for his anger to dim but he eventually regained his composure. Taking a deep breath he let it out before sitting back down with a sort of finality. "Well. We'll just have to go to this… meeting and demand they voic this contract at once. As the head of the family the decisions fall to me." As if that settled everything the Malfoy manor returned to it's normal, everyday, state.

Yes. It would be no trouble at all to break the contract. He was certain the other party would agree. If not he had the best magical lawyers money could buy. By this time tomorrow the whole thing would be behind them and they could forget it ever happened.


End file.
